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Is French Onion Dip Actually French is what I just googled and it turns out that it was invented in California! So that’s a fact that you can rattle off if ever you’re standing near the dips and need something to talk about that’s not the weather. This here is a French Onion dip that is made with—wait for it—yogurt. Predictable! I know. But I just wanted to put this somewhere since it was cut from Short Stack Yogurt and I love it so much. In the first draft of my manuscript, it was paired with butternut squash tots which were tasty! But I never wanted to make them. I dreaded having to test them because that meant peeling a big dumb squash, shredding a big dumb squash, molding like a hundred dumb tots, and frying them. And for what? So I could slow down the acquisition of my bikini bod??

I liked the sound of the words “Squash Tots with French Onion Yogurt” all strung together, but if I was dreading making them then chances were that you would too. So it fell to the cutting room floor and unfortunately dragged this great dip along with it. Oops! It’s ok now though because here it is, and I’ve served it here with sweet potato fries but it is good with anything fried because fried things and yogurt go together like peanut butter and jelly. The fried thing provides the oomph, the crunchy satisfaction, the bulk of the dish, while the yogurt cools it down, offers a bit of creaminess, and takes some weight off of an otherwise heavy bite. It’s a perfect partnership, and pretty much whenever I fry up a vegetable or fritter, my first instinct is to grab some dollops of yogurt out of the fridge.

This sweet onion yogurt dip bursts with a nostalgic flavor that will take you straight back to junior high basement parties. It's very simple to make and cooking it will make your house smell ~amazing~.

French Onion Yogurt

Ingredients

2 tb unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 c white wine

3/4 c (170g) whole milk greek yogurt

1/2 tsp onion powder

Black pepper

Chives, for topping

Clues

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium and add the onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and sugar. Cook, stirring, until golden brown and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine: add it to the pan, scrape off any bits that have stuck to the pan and continue to cook until the wine is mostly reduced. Let cool and then stir with the yogurt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, onion powder, and a few turns of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped fresh chives.

I’d also like to include some shoutouts to friends who have blogged about Short Stack Yogurtand posted recipes!! Thank you sooo much, sweet friends!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (If you’ve blogged about Short Stack Yogurt, let me know in the comments or by tagging #shortstackyogurt on social!!)

If I had a hot tub the first thing I’d fill it with would be rainbow sprinkles so I could reenact all of those Instagrams that people take at the ice cream museum. When that gets sticky and buggy the second thing I’d fill my hot tub with would be queso and then I’d throw a B.Y.O. chips party for all of my friends. Imagine sitting around a bonfire but instead of a fire in the middle it’s a hot tub of queso, that would be the life. Now imagine that the queso is just slightly healthier, almost enough so that you could maybe actually eat a whole hot tub of it by yourself and you don’t actually need to share it with your friends. That’s yogurt queso! It's really inauthentic and I got afraid to post this after reading the truth about queso, so this is really a queso-inspired yogurty cheesy dip (I hate the word "dip" for some reason???) but it's tasty! And a little tangy from the yogurt and I love eating it with the extremely thick and salty and sometimes even chewy potato chips from the deli section of Hugo's, our nearest grocery store. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Yogurt Queso with Cilantro Cream

serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 tb unsalted butter

1/2 small purple onion, finely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped, plus more for serving

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

Kosher salt

1/4 c (32g) all-purpose flour

1 c (240g) whole milk

4 oz jack cheese, shredded

1 c (225g) greek yogurt (whole, 2%, or fat free), divided

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Black pepper

1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for serving

Clues

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the flour and continue cooking for another minute. Add the milk and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Add the cheese, stirring until melted, and then add 2/3 cup yogurt, the cayenne, crushed red pepper, a few turns of pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. To make the cilantro cream, mix the cilantro with the remaining 1/3 cup yogurt and a pinch of salt and a few turns of pepper. Serve the queso warm with the cilantro cream dolloped in the center. Top with additional fresh cilantro, chopped bell pepper, black pepper, and a sprinkle of cayenne.